June, 2003: The twin fortress towers of Peyruss le Roc once guarded what was a silver mining town of the middle ages. Abandonned in the 16th century because of the influx of cheaper silver from the New World, this overgrown, long forgotten site is one of the most mysterious, beatiful and under-appreciated sites in Aveyron. Even at noon (when these photos were taken), daylight hardly reaches into much of the ruins. You can park at the "modern" town at the top (where you can rent a "gite" very inexpensively, or have lunch in one of a few small and very enjoyable little restaurant-cafés), and wander your way slowly down through the ruins of the village & castle, brave the ladder to visit the towers, and finally work your way down to the extraordinary ruins of a cathedral and the "Hopital Anglais". This site is sadly neglected, and one can only wonder what it was like a hundred years ago, or what it will be like in 20, when there will surely be even less to see of it.